Backgammon World Champions

On this page
  1. Before Monte Carlo
  2. How the championship works
  3. Notable champions
  4. What changed the modern game

Many tournaments call themselves world championships, but in backgammon one event carries the title by tradition: the World Backgammon Championship in Monte Carlo, Monaco. It has been played there since 1979 and draws players from dozens of countries each summer. This page explains how the event works and looks at some of the champions who shaped its early decades.

Before Monte Carlo

Backgammon's tournament scene took off in the 1960s and 1970s, when the game became fashionable in the United States and Europe. Events billed as world championships were held in Las Vegas and later in the Bahamas during that period. The first Monte Carlo championship in 1979 moved the title to Europe, where it has stayed. For more about the American years, read our article on backgammon champions.

How the championship works

The championship is a match-play event. Players meet in long matches to a set number of points rather than in single games, and the doubling cube is part of every match. A long match evens out some of the luck of the dice: one bad roll can lose a game, but over many games the stronger player usually comes through. Even so, upsets are part of the tradition, which is one reason the event attracts both professionals and keen amateurs.

Around the main championship, the week usually includes side tournaments and divisions for players of different levels, so a first-time visitor can play serious matches without facing only experts.

Notable champions

The list of winners also shows how the game spread. In the early years champions came mostly from the United States, Italy and France. From the 1990s players from Germany, Denmark, Sweden and Norway won repeatedly, reflecting strong club scenes in Northern Europe.

What changed the modern game

Since the 1990s, computer programs based on neural networks have changed how champions prepare. Tools such as GNU Backgammon and eXtreme Gammon can evaluate positions and review whole matches, showing which moves and cube decisions cost the most. Today top players spend much of their study time reviewing their own matches with such software, and the general level of play has risen as a result. You can read more about this in our article on studying with software.

For the longer story of the game, from ancient boards to modern tournaments, see the history of backgammon.